UHV women place 3rd in Claud Jacobs tournament; men improve to 9th

As the sun peaked out of the clouds Monday morning, UHV's Devon Dueser knew it would be a better day of golf.

And it was.

Dueser improved by six strokes Monday with a score of 81 compared to an 87 from Sunday.

"The conditions outside changed, I was a lot smoother with my swing, and I had more confidence," Dueser said. "Overall, it was a great day."

Though temperatures rose to a balmy 80 degrees, Dueser said it was perfect golfing weather.

"A little cloudy, sunny and windy - it's just perfect," she said. "Maybe even get a tan."

The UHV women's team held its third-place spot Monday with a combined score of 608 after two rounds.

Even with the nine women's teams that competed in the first tournament of the year, many of which are ranked high in the NAIA field, Dueser knew UHV would compete well.

"It gives us an advantage with this being our home course; we practice here every day," she said.

Dueser's teammates, Heather Shake and Brooke Brasseaux, were the only UHV golfers to post higher scores on the second day.

Shake still achieved her goal of being in the top five with her 71, 75; 146 total. She placed fourth in the individual rankings after Elia Folch and Caroline Goodin from Oklahoma City University and Fariza Zain from Northwood University.

"I made some big mistakes, mostly with club decisions," Shake said after tallying up her scorecard with coach Brian Williamson.

However, with the success of her teammates and being a member of the third-place team, the Pearland freshman is happy with her first collegiate tournament.

"I'm just happy to be here and glad to get in the top five, which was my goal," Shake said. "I'm disappointed in the way I played today, but oh, well."

Becky Benchot scored her second 75 to make her total 146, tying for 11th with Anna Mikish from OCU.

Brasseaux also made the top 20 with a 76, 77; 153 total, followed by Caitlin Swisher with an 81, 78; 159 finish and tie for 23rd.

Shelbi Vincent improved by one stroke from the first day and ended with an 84, 83; 167 finish.

The UHV men's team improved its overall score enough to move up from 10th place to ninth after Monday's action.

Senior Nick Ver Elst said he scored lower but played worse Monday. He scored a 74, after a pair of 76s on the first day.

"My shooting was better yesterday, but I scrambled at the end today," the Antwerp, Belgium, native said. "It was all over the place."

Each UHV golfer scored better on the second day, including Vance Edwards, who had a team low of 71 and a 229 finish.

The team's combined score was 917 after the two-day tournament.

Junior Steve Jones said that he wasn't in the right mindset Sunday, which led to a less than satisfying score of 76 and 78. Jones scored a 75 Monday to round out a 229 finish to tie with Edwards.

"The conditions were easier today; we just had a better attitude as a team," Jones said. "We took yesterday as something to improve on and did it."

William Jake Truss scored an 82, 75, 76; 233 finish and tie for 43rd place, while Kyle Smith golfed the first round for an 84 Sunday.

Oklahoma City University men's and women's team took both top spots. The women scored a 582 after two rounds; the men scored an 880 after three rounds.